Description: This article discusses research that has demonstrated the utility of a rigorously calibrated, molecular mechanics/semiempirical quantum mechanical protocol for developing stereoelectronic (Tolman) maps for phosphine ligands. A computational analysis of alkyl and aryl phosphines in common usage suggests that these ligands are quite similar stereoelectronically. A noticeable gap int he Tolman map for common phosphines is observed for large, electron-poor phosphines. Several candidates meeting these criteria were identified, the most promising of which is P(t-C₄F₉)₃. Phosphines in which the phosphorus participates in a ring, which comprise a very small subset of reported phosphines, have very interesting stereoelectronic properties, particularly those in which the ligating phosphorus is part of a three-membered ring. In terms of steric properties, the symmetric deformation coordinate proposed by Orpen and co-workers on the basis of crystallographic studies is calculated with sufficient accuracy using PM3(tm) to allow good confidence in predictions of novel phosphines. For quantification of the electronic properties of phosphines, the authors analyzed changes in the CO stretching frequency upon changing the ancillary phosphine ligands.

Description: Article describing the authors' tour through Riddarhyttan, Sweden, to visit the areas where cerium and cobalt were discovered. Maps and photographs of pertinent locations are located as well as a history of the area and the elements discovered there.

Description: First page of The Hexagon of Alpha Chi Sigma. The blue cover features a black and white drawing of a medieval knight wearing mail and a tunic with a cross motif. He is holding a shield that bears the image of a stone building with flames shooting out of the roof. The word "Riddarhyttan" appears on a banner above the knight's head. Two photographs are arranged to the left of the knight, with text and an image of a computer mouse to the right. The next page includes a table of contents, an editorial, and a list of contributors. Near the bottom of this second page is a piece labeled "On the Cover," which describes the previous page.